Memory Lane
by psychicchameleon
Summary: The Gallagher Academy is and will always be my home. So many memories; so many moments all encased inside of one building. The Carnival music pounds through my ears, telling me it's time to say good-bye to the place I love. One-Shot. Set after Out of Sight, Out of Time.


The Gallagher Academy is and will always be my home. So many memories; so many moments all encased inside of one building. Granted, it is a very _large_ building.

Our suite is the first place that I go. I think of Bex, walking into the room on our first day of seventh grade. Our parents were close, teaching us the spy lifestyle together. We were excited to be able to take a step closer to the professional agencies, to prove ourselves worthy of our parents' legacy. I flash forward to Macey McHenry and the first nights that she spent with us. Our unstoppable trio having to add another member; the spoiled heiress who had been dismissed from every school she had ever been to. Gradually, she began to prove herself as more than that, and we realized she really was one of us. This room has seen everything, from meeting our best friends, to researching terrorist organizations. It pains me to leave it behind.

I walk through the library, and remember the first day that I met Elizabeth Sutton. Somehow, she had managed to turn three bookshelves over, her distinctive 'Oopsie Daisies' ringing through the crowded room. Books scattered on the ground, a blush creeping up her face. I offered to help and we spent the time up until dinner cleaning up and getting to know each other.

I smile when I think of that; of her.

I move to the tapestry in the Hall of History. Pictures of my first boyfriend come to mind. They become blurry, and fade into memories with another boy. Emerald eyes that masked a world of pain; eyes that remind me of my own. Thoughts of red fabric and a strapless bra turn my cheeks pink. A certain Code Black that refuses to be forgotten. Fears were thrown into the wind as we realized that we would have to work together. The hardest thing for a spy is trust, but that night as the sirens blared, our two schools trusted one another.

Test tubes and burn marks distinguish the lab from the other class rooms. While I'm glad that the most accident-prone teacher the Gallagher Academy has ever seen isn't working in the field, science labs may not be the best environment for him. I laugh as I think of Dr. Fibbs' ingenious inventions, and the not-so-ingenious procedures. He has blown up that lab more times than I can count, and I'll never forget the time he activated a nuclear warhead. I exit the lab laughing.

The cold elevator doors slide against my hand. My black hair is visible in the mirror, my frame close to that of Liz. I let the machine prick my finger, letting out an inaudible hiss as the machine identifies me. My thoughts wander to Bex, and her irrational fear of needles. She can beat up MI6 agents, and yet the small prick of her finger is daunting. I think of all my fears. Being a spy doesn't make you fearless, but when you put your mission first, nothing can stop you. Fear just becomes a hurdle that has the power to slow you down, if you let it. I step into the chrome world of Sublevel One. The classroom to my favorite class lies in front of me. Lessons and lectures that made me a better spy with every word that was said. 'Notice things', the greatest advice that I have ever been given rings in my ears.

Sublevel Two. Wigs, make-up, and disguises stretch as far as I can see. Macey's favorite place. I think of the game, her red frizzy hair and glasses, the safe house. The moment she realized that she was a descendant of Gilly Gallagher; our incorrect assumption that the Circle of Cavan was after her. Election parties escalating into gunshots, training exercises diminishing as danger became real. My breathing becomes erratic and I know that I have to leave.

Sublevel Three. The gun. The song that has become the soundtrack to my life. I take push the elevator button and ascend back to the stony walls.

The scent is stale in the infirmary, the once occupied bed now void of life. The tombs become visible, the image of my favorite teacher ready to take his own life to save us. A tear slides down my face when I remember the times that my mother and Abby visited. The heartbreaking moments Zach faced with the closest person to a father he had.

I look at my mother's office through the passageway that I hate to use. She is curled up into a ball on the small sofa. For a moment the music softens, but when it comes back it only increases in volume.

I slip into my favorite passageway. Tears flood my eyes as I think of the nights I cried myself to sleep on the dusty floor; the days where I held on to a sliver of hope, convincing myself that he was going to come home. Zach was the only one to find my sanctuary, the only one to see me the way I vowed no one would see. Moments like this remind me why I fell for him. Josh saw me, but only as a girl. Zach saw me for who I really was, who I really am. He understood the pain behind my façade, the dangers of becoming who we were training to be. Nothing in this line of work comes without a price, and that is something we both grew up knowing first-hand. I rub my hands along the bricks in the wall as I leave the room.

The balcony is my last stop. Below me, the ground looks white, everything else is dark. I have to finish my mission for Dr. Steve. I have to jump. I step onto the railing carefully, needing to do this right.

My arms stretch out wide, the carnival song pounding in my ears.

Then, I fall.

**A/N: Reviews are appreciated, but only if you want to! Thanks to everyone who read!**


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